


it's a small world (after all)

by planetten



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Relationships, Disney, Disney World & Disneyland, Fluff, Haikyuu but they're all Disneyland employees, Hinata aims to teach him everything he knows, Kageyama doesn't know anything about Disney, Most of the characters appear in this, Multi, Typical Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23536492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planetten/pseuds/planetten
Summary: Hinata Shoyou didn't know anyone who worked at Disneyland that didn't know about Disney.Hinata was determined to teach Kageyama Tobio more than just the Disney Handbook.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 21
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter One

Hinata Shouyou beamed as he opened the door to the male dressing room, quickly unplugging his earphones once he saw his fellow castmembers. Oikawa Tooru was already dressed and wigged, despite the early start, indicating he must be on for breakfast at one of the neighbouring resorts. As soon as Hinata greeted the room, Oikawa stopped adjusting his wig and looked at Hinata through the mirror.

"Chibi-chan! Good morning~" Oikawa yelled, turning around to hug the smaller male. "I didn't know you were on today! What time is your lunch?"

Hinata couldn't help but laugh at Oikawa's fake goatee. Despite working with Oikawa for almost a year, Hinata never got used to the sight. Although Oikawa suited the turquoise vest, white shirt and dark cream pants, the goatee always looked unnatural and out of place. Hinata thought back to when he first saw Oikawa out of character and how he tried to hide his red face as Oikawa's friends teased him for how awful the goatee made him look.

Just as Hinata was about to answer Oikawa's question about lunch, another voice from across the room butted in.

"Shittykawa stop shouting! It's too early for your shit," Iwaizumi Hajime yelled as he tried to tie the red sash on the waist of his teal blue pants. "But Iwa-chan," Oikawa whined, abandoning Hinata and making his way over to Iwaizumi. "You're shouting too," he laughed, taking the red piece of fabric and quickly tying it for him.

"Thanks," Iwazumi muttered, a light blush spreading over his face and Hinata shook his head at his friends' odd behaviour.

Hinata made his way over to his locker and grabbed the costume he needed for the day. Looking at the fiery wig, that almost matched his own hair, and the green attire, he sighed as he wondered how he got so lucky. Never in a million years did he think he would land his dream role of Peter Pan at Disneyland and make such amazing friends. He silently thanked Yachi for convincing him to go to auditions with her when they were being held in their home town.

As Hinata sat down and began his morning routine, Oikawa and Iwaizumi got up to leave, double-checking themselves in the mirror one last time.

"Well chibi-chan, we can't leave our ladies in waiting. See you later~" Oikawa said, grabbing Iwaizumi's hand and pulling him out of the room insisting he looked fine. As Hinata waved goodbye he couldn't help but overhear the two bickering about Miya Atsumu and where he was. 

"Today is going to be a good day," Hinata confidently said to himself as more of his coworkers began entering the room.

* 

Hinata bounced as he made his way through the park, stopping and quickly talking to guests whenever one called out to him. Hinata's energetic mood almost felt infectious as every person he met left smiling and happier than they were before. At one point Hinata bent down to talk to a young kid who insisted on being taught how to fly.

"Kiddo don't you know? All you need is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust!" Hinata laughed, quoting the famous line hoping to make the little kid smile. However, instead, he was met with sad-looking eyes. "B-but I'm too small! I'll never be able to play volleyball," the child whined and Hinata felt a pain in his heart as he thought back to his high school experiences.

"Hey buddy, look at me," Hinata said, grabbing the child's attention. "I may be small, but I can fly and you can too! You just have to believe in yourself." Hinata's words seemed to fill the child up with motivation as a confident look overtook his face. "I-I can fly." the young kid said, testing out the words. "I can fly. I can fly!" he yelled, suddenly jumping over to his parents and exclaiming the new words.

Hinata smiled and felt his heart fill up with joy. This was definitely his favourite part of the job, seeing kids smile and knowing it was him who caused it.

As Hinata was about to get up the child ran back and engulfed him in a hug. "Thank you, Peter! You're my favourite!" he yelled, exposing a wide-mouth smile.

"Don't ever give up on your dreams," Hinata said, hugging back.

* 

"Tch," Kuroo Tetsurou muttered, grabbing a plate and making his way over to his usual table.

"Damn that shitty Daishou. I hope he gets caught making out with some girl behind Splash Mountain and gets fired so I never have to see his shitty face again," Kuroo yelled, slamming the plate down on the table.

"That's not a very Disney attitude of you Kuroo," Kozume Kenma mumbled, focussing on the game in front of him. Kenma was used to his friend's angry outbursts but often wondered how Kuroo managed to keep it together out in the park.

"What did he do now? I swear if I see him I'll- I'll-" Bokuto Koutarou began but was quickly cut off.

"You'll do what Bokuto-san? Smile and say hello in a passive-aggressive tone like you usually do?" Akaashi Keiji said, a slightly teasing tone residing in his words. Kenma let out a quiet laugh remembering the incident that took place last week where the two met in character inside the park.

"Akaashi! That was one time and I didn't have a choice!" Bokuto yelled, jumping up and almost knocking over the table where the four of them were seated.

"Bokuto-san, please calm down," Akaashi said, thankful that none of the food had spilt as they were still in costume.

Kenma's attention was drawn away from the commotion as he saw multiple texts from Hinata light up his screen. His eyes flickered over the incoherent messages as he furrowed his eyebrows trying to think about who Hinata was talking about.

"Um does anyone know if anyone new started today?" Kenma asked, interrupting the conversation that was taking place in front of him.

*

Hinata walked out from backstage after sending a string of keyboard smashes and questions about who the new black-haired member was to Kenma. A faint blush was painted over his face as he thought back to when he first saw the mysterious figure while he was walking around.

Peter Pan's Flight was situated opposite It's a Small World and Hinata made it a habit to stop by and chat with the cast members that were on staff that day. Expecting to see Kindaichi Yuutarou and Kunimi Akira, he was surprised to see another male figure with black hair peeking out from under the straw hat. Kindaichi, having spotted the other's bright green outfit, waved and yelled at him to come over.

Just as Kindaichi was about to say hi and greet Hinata, the other name-less figure turned around and made direct eye contact with the small orange-haired man.

Hinata froze, taken aback by the stranger's good looks. Heat travelled to Hinata's neck as he felt his face burn up. Realising he had ignored Kindaichi's greeting in favour of staring at the stranger, Hinata jumped up in the air and took off in the direction he came from, yelling about how he needed the bathroom.

Now, here he was hiding behind a large pillar across from the ride's entrance trying to not make himself noticeable as he spied on the trio. Hinata watched as Kunimi greeted guests and Kindaichi showed the new guy which buttons operated the ride. Hinata squinted his eyes as he tried to read the name printed on the plastic name tag but scrunched up his face when he failed to do so. He silently cursed his teen self for all the late nights he spent watching volleyball matches in the dark.

Knowing it wasn't uncharacteristic of Peter Pan to mess around and play games, Hinata remained in his hiding position weighing out the pros and cons of walking up and introducing himself.

Pros - he would get to meet the undeniably attractive stranger.

Cons- he was dressed as Peter Pan and would have to do the whole thing while in character.

Deciding it was now or never, Hinata hopped out of his hiding place and skipped over to the ride's entrance where Kunimi was standing. Unknownst to Hinata, Kunimi had noticed the whole ordeal, starting with Hinata's strange behaviour and had even seen Hinata crouch down behind the pillar and begin to count something on his fingers.

"Well, _Peter_ , what brings you here?" Kunimi asked, a smug expression taking over his face. The mention of the name caused the other two members to turn around and Kindaichi began to wave.

"I wanted to see my two favourite boat operators of course! And to introduce myself to," Hinata paused to read the name tag, "Kageyama! Nice to meet you! I'm Peter, Peter Pan. The best and most handsome person in the park! Also incredibly humble!" Hinata beamed out, grabbing Kageyama Tobio's arm and shaking it comically.

Hinata waited for Kageyama to crack a smile or even laugh but instead he was met with silence and a blank neutral expression from the other male. The theme song of the ride blared through the speakers and the longer Hinata stood there in silence still shaking Kageyama's hand, the more he began to regret every life choice he ever made.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Kindaichi and Kunimi holding back their laughter and Hinata began to wonder if he had his pants on backwards. All of Hinata's worst-case scenarios raced through his head as he wondered why Kageyama hadn't responded to anything he had said. He wished the floor would open up and drop him into the middle of the ride and hopefully sail away from this awkward encounter and never come near Kageyama again. But as he was about to let go and leave, the other man spoke up.

"What is a Peter Pan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! I'm so excited to write this!  
> I haven't been able to get this au out of my head since it first came to mind.  
> More characters and their roles at Disney will be revealed as we go through the book. Leave some guesses in the comments as to who plays who!  
> I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's brain malfunctions and he decides to take some impromptu advice from Bokuto.  
> 

_"What is a Peter Pan?" ___

____

____

Hinata slowly blinked, his mind trying to process what Kageyama just said.

Kunimi and Kindaichi couldn't contain their laughter anymore and burst out, causing more guests to pay attention to what was happening between the four employees. From around him, Hinata began to hear people whispering and asking if Kageyama really said he didn't know who Peter Pan was.

Not knowing what to do in this situation, Hinata dropped Kageyama's hand and slowly began to back out of the entrance. Without dropping his wide smile or turning around, he continued backwards onto the street. Seeing Kageyama's eyebrows furrow prompted Hinata to awkwardly smile wider until he was inside the safety of his own building. He gave a final wave to Kageyama, before breaking eye contact and deciding to take an early lunch.

As Hinata stepped backstage, away from the view of others, he stopped for a moment and stared blankly at a wall.

What just happened?

Hinata tried to recall the moment everything went wrong but couldn't seem to pinpoint anything in the whole exchange.

Just as he was about to consider writing his two-week notice, a loud voice boomed through the once empty hallway.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto yelled as he entered the door from the other side. "Hinata, how are you?"

* 

"He said what?" Bokuto exclaimed, looking quite ridiculous wearing a red padded shirt with fake muscles. Not that he needed it, Hinata briefly thought as he continued recounting his and Kageyama's conversation.

"He doesn't know who Peter Pan is! Is that allowed? Here, at Disney? Can you work at Disney if you don't even know anything about Disney?!" Hinata blurted out, a million and one questions racing through his mind as the other sat dumbfounded in front of him.

"And the worst part," Hinata continued, "I still think I have a massive crush on him, him and his stupid straw hat."

The two sat in silence for a couple of seconds, the noise of other members having their break filling the room.

"Okay Hinata, listen up because here is what you're going to do," Bokuto said, folding his arms across his chest. The smaller male perked up at the thought of Bokuto solving all his problems. Bokuto was the first person to reach out to Hinata when he began working at Disneyland and Hinata had grown to admire the equally energetic figure. Hinata knew he could trust and rely on Bokuto's advice and he was eager to hear him out.

"First, you're going to get changed. Put on a regular uniform and get back out there! He was probably just intimidated by all your," Bokuto paused to look at the nodding figure. "Green. Then you're going to corner him, touch his arm, lean up against him, whisper in his ear and tell him you're going to take him behind Splash Mountain after hours! It's the perfect plan!"

Hinata stopped nodding his head, "Splash Mountain? Isn't that Daishou's thing?" Hinata asked a sense of hesitation evident in his voice.

"Exactly! When has it ever not worked for him? And he walks around the park looking like that! Honestly, if I was a girl and saw his giant blue head walking towards me, I think I would book it. Trust me Hinata, I promise this will work."

The more Bokuto talked the more Hinata began to agree with his words. Bokuto was right, Daishou knew what he was doing so why couldn't Hinata do the same. Hinata glanced up, a look of determination spread over his face.

"See! And Akaashi says I should never give relationship advice," Bokuto laughed as Hinata got up and made his way to the dressing room.

* 

Akaashi shivered as he looked around the dust-covered lobby searching for any sign of an incoming draft. Akaashi motioned for the next thirty guests to enter the small room. As he walked around, he spotted Kenma wearing the same maroon outfit and signalled him to come over.

"Akaashi? Is something wrong?" Kenma asked, noticing his friend's sudden strange behaviour.

Akaashi narrowed his eyes, "I feel like Bokuto-san is up to something and it's not good."

* 

Hinata smoothed down the light blue shirt he had found in the costume inventory as he made his way back to It's a Small World. Checking the time on a nearby clock he noted how it was almost peak hour and the larger crowds further proved his point.

Hinata decided he needed to be quick, in and out, mission complete. The last thing he wanted was to stress Kageyama out during his first rush hour at Disneyland.

Walking past the entrance he noticed that Kunimi and Kindaichi were nowhere to be seen and Kageyama was in the control booth by himself. Picking up his pace, he quickly reached the side entrance, opened and closed the door behind him.

"Kindaichi-san, where did you go? I-" but Kageyama cut himself off when he noticed the small, orange-hair figure was in fact not Kindaichi.

"Hey, Kageyama-kun," Hinata waved, sauntering over to where the other male was standing. Remembering Bokuto's advice he reached out and touched Kageyama's arm. Wait, Hinata paused, what were Bokuto's instructions again? Hinata began to panic as the memory of Bokuto's plan slowly slipped from his mind.

As soon as his hand touched Kageyama's arm, Hinata pulled it away. Kageyama's eyes flicked between where this stranger's hand previously was and where it currently rested. Unable to hear the incoherent mumblings from the other, Kageyama decided to speak up.

"Um hello," he started, clearing his throat. "The entrance to the ride is on the other side, this is the control room. You are on the wrong side."

Hinata found himself freezing in his place for almost the third time today. Did Kageyama think he was a guest? That was ridiculous. What would Kageyama have done if Hinata wasn't a cast member?

Hinata shook his head as he refocused himself, stepping closer to Kageyama.

Hinata let out a soft laugh, "Kageyama-kun, I'm here to talk to you. I'm Hinata Shoyou." he introduced, tapping the plastic nametag.

Kageyama continued to stare at the small figure. He had never seen this person in his life. Why was he insisting he was here for him?

"I don't know who you are," Kageyama said bluntly, taking a step backwards.

Hinata took a breath, so much for in and out. "I play Peter Pan from Peter Pan, I was here earlier if you remember."

Kageyama paused, thinking back as if the encounter had taken place a few weeks ago instead of an hour like it actually did. "Oh," he started. "I-I'm new, I play the boat operator for It's a Small World," Kageyama stumbled out, getting flustered as Hinata drew closer and closer.

As Hinata stepped towards him, Kageyama stepped back until he found himself being pressed against the control panel. "What's wrong Kageyama-kun?" Hinata asked, reaching out to touch Kageyama's arm again.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, Kageyama stood there incredibly overwhelmed as Hinata got on his tiptoes to whisper something into Kageyama's ear. However, faith had other plans.

Kageyama, leaning too far back, lost his balance causing himself and Hinata to topple over. Trying to stop his fall, he reached out to grab onto anything, the control panel being the closest thing to him.

As his body hit the wooden floor, he suddenly heard the smaller figure's voice blare out from the speakers around him.

"I'M TAKING YOU FROM BEHIND AT SPLASH MOUNTAIN AFTER WORK."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive comments, they really meant a lot!!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a Small World breaks down momentarily.  
> Surprisingly, no one gets fired.

_"I'M TAKING YOU FROM BEHIND AT SPLASH MOUNTAIN AFTER WORK."_

No, no, no, Hinata thought as the feedback from the microphone became the only noise filling up the entire building. 

"What?" Kageyama asked, deeply distraught by the whole situation taking place in front of him but Hinata was too panicked to notice the taller male or the mistake in his wording. 

In a blind panic, Hinata began hitting buttons hoping to hear the familiar soundtrack blare through the speakers instead of the mechanical silence. Hinata never wanted to hear the familiar, "it's a small world after all," so badly in his entire career and he regretted every time he prayed to never hear that cursed song again. 

Pressing multiple buttons and praying to Walt Disney himself, Hinata wondered why he was never trained in handling rides. The words, "it's a small," repeated over and over again on the speakers until finally, Hinata pressed the right combo causing the ride to spring to life again. 

Hinata slumped down, completely embarrassed by the whole ordeal as he tucked his head in between his knees. 

Kageyama wanted to reassure Hinata that everything was alright but a knock on the door stopped him before he could do so. 

* 

Sitting in Ukai Keishin's office wasn't always bad. He wasn't the worst manager to deal with and he generally seemed to care about his employees. Hinata recalled the many times he was called in just because Ukai wanted to check up on him and see if he was finding the job okay. 

Hinata pulled his knees closer to his body as he thought about how disappointed everyone was going to be. Hinata was meant to be a role-model, the star employee who got along with everyone and never broke the rules. Yet, here he was waiting for Ukai to come in and give out to him and Kageyama. 

Kageyama, Hinata thought, glancing over to the figure beside him. Hinata watched as Kageyama stared out the window, lost in thought, causing Hinata to feel even worse. 

This was all his own fault, Kageyama shouldn't even be here. 

Hinata was about to speak up and apologise but the door swung open as Ukai entered his office. A faint smell of smoke filled the room but it was gone as soon as it appeared. 

"Well, this is certainly unexpected," Ukai began, looking at his least two mischievous employees. 

Neither figure at the opposite end of the table dared to speak as Ukai continued. "Honestly, when I first heard the news I thought it was Matsukawa-kun and Hanamaki-kun but when I heard it was you two I can't deny that I was shocked." 

"Kageyama-kun, I know you're new and this is only your first day but Hinata-kun," Ukai said, moving his attention to the smaller figure. "What on earth were you doing in the control booth? You aren't even trained in operating them. You had no reason to be there." Ukai stated, however, his voice contained no sense of anger. 

Unable to stop himself, Hinata burst out startling the other two men in the room. "Ukai-san, I'm so sorry. Please don't fire me, I wasn't even going to hand in my two-week notice, I swear. O-Or take Kageyama behind Splash Mountain after work. I promise I would never. Please just don't fire me, I love this job so much. Please don't do this," Hinata sobbed as the other two exchanged a concerned glance. 

"Hinata-" Ukai began but was quickly cut off as Hinata spoke up, suddenly remembering the person sat next to him. 

"Actually Ukai-san this is all my fault. If you're going to fire anyone then fire me. Kageyama had nothing to do with this. Kageyama didn't even know I existed till twenty minutes ago. Please don't fire him, fire me instead. He doesn't deserve this." 

"Hinata-kun, I'm not-" 

"If you fire him then I'll quit," Hinata shouted, interrupting Ukai. "If he leaves then I leave too. It's not fair I-" 

"HINATA I'M NOT FIRING ANYONE," Ukai yelled grabbing Hinata's attention and causing him to shut up. 

"I don't know about your two-week notice or Splash Mountain and frankly, I don't want to. Just promise me you'll stay out of trouble and not break any more rides." 

* 

"Hinata? I'm surprised you're still alive," Miya Osamu said, handing the two Mickey Mouse shaped pretzels over from behind the cart. 

Lunch had ended a while ago and no customers stood behind Hinata, who was still dressed in the light blue shirt, so Osamu felt there was no harm in catching up. At the mention of the previous event, Hinata felt a blush creep to the back of his neck. 

"Even you heard about it?" Hinata groaned, looking around the rustic scenery that engulfed Frontierland. 

"Oh, of course, I heard about it. You know everyone was talking about it in the break room. You should've heard Kuroo, he gave off this hyena sounding laugh, it was something." 

Hinata's heart sunk at the thought of all his friends knowing what happened before he could even explain the situation. They all definitely thought he was an idiot now. How could he have gone so wrong with Bokuto's advice? 

"Hey don't feel so bad, remember when 'Tsumu fell off the float during the parade last month. Man, that was hilarious and people only talked about it for a few weeks after that." Osamu said, attempting to cheer the upset figure up, but unknowingly managed to make Hinata feel worse as he realised people would be bringing up the situation to him for the rest of his life. 

"Right, thanks," Hinata trailed off, looking around to find the nearest bathroom where he could preferably hide forever but the two warm pretzels in his hands reminded him that Kageyama was waiting. Looking over to where the taller male was seated, Hinata couldn't help but feel his heart tighten. 

Noticing the heartful gaze, Osamu couldn't help a smile appearing on his face but quickly wiped it off when Hinata turned back around. 

"Say hi to him for me, he seems alright." 

* 

"Who was that?" Kageyama asked once Hinata returned from purchasing the food he had promised, as a way to make up for the whole incident. 

"Miya Osamu," Hinata replied sitting down. "He runs the pretzel cart but sometimes he subs in for his brother, Atsumu, you know Prince Charming," Hinata explained in a mocking tone. However, the words fell flat as Hinata realised Kageyama probably didn't know who Miya Astumu or Prince Charming was. 

Remembering the food, Hinata passed the pretzel over and Kageyama looked down. A lightly salted, golden-brown pretzel with soulless eyes and an open smile stared back. 

"This is terrifying," Kageyama said, staring deeper at the soft pretzel as if it were mocking him. 

Hinata let out a laugh, "Sure is! But Osamu makes the best pretzels I wouldn't trust anyone else in the whole park." Hinata ripped off a piece of its ear and began to eat, savouring the salted and doughy food he had grown to love. 

Following suit, Kageyama hesitantly took a bite, testing the horrifying object. Deciding the food was editable, Kageyama took a bigger bite and munched away.

"So you really don't know anything about Disney?" Hinata asked, unable to stop himself asking the burning question. 

Kageyama shook his head and took Hinata's silence as an instruction to speak more. 

"I mean, I've seen almost all the Winnie the Pooh movies," Kageyama said, breaking off another piece of the pretzel to inspect it. 

Hinata stared at Kageyama's actions, his own pretzel already gone. Hinata began to wonder if Kageyama was actually serious about Winnie the Pooh or if everything he'd been telling him was a complete and utter lie. But Kageyama didn't seem the type to lie about something so specific as his love for the yellow bear. 

"Winnie the Pooh?" Hinata repeated, completely taken aback by the sudden revelation. 

"Mmh," Kageyama nodded, "I love him, does he work here?" Kageyama asked, trying to pass it off as a casual question but Hinata could sense the hint of excitement in his voice. 

Hinata, finding himself smiling at the question replied, "Yeah! Yeah, he does! I could take you to meet him sometime!" 

"Really?" Kageyama burst out surprising the other but quickly regained his composure as he noticed the uncharacteristic action. "I mean yeah that would be nice."

Picking away at the dough, Kageyama couldn't help the large smile spread over his face as he thought back to his childhood memories. Noticing the small action, Hinata felt his heart tug and butterflies form in his stomach. Seeing Kageyama smile shot off beams inside Hinata's head and Hinata made it his personal mission to get Kageyama to smile more often. 

Hinata, about to ask Kageyama about his reason for liking Winnie the Pooh, was interrupted as a Mickey Mouse figure walked past waving at the two. Hinata shot up and started enthusiastically waving back making his presence known. Kageyama, looking over, gave a slight wave trying to copy Hinata's actions. 

Hinata sat back down and watched as Kageyama finished his food and gave two thumbs up as a form of rating. Hinata grinned knowing he had brought his newly formed friend over to the dark side of Miya Osamu's pretzels. 

"Who was that?" Kageyama asked, referring to the person playing the mouse. 

"Oh," Hinata paused trying to think. "We don't actually know, we've never met him. I mean Oikawa-san said he saw him once, but no one actually believes him."

Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows. "But don't you all work here? How can you not know the person who plays the main part?"

"That my friend is a mystery in itself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update? I don't know her.  
> Thank you again for all the support!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We begin to meet other characters at Disneyland.  
> Hinata remembers the staff night out.

_"That my friend is a mystery in itself."_

*

"Good morning folks, and welcome to the world-famous 'Jungle Cruise'. My name is Tsukishima and I'll be your Skipper for hopefully as short as possible today," Tsukishima Kei announced, scanning the boat and gathering a profile on the guests.

"This is my assistant Yamaguchi if you have any questions don't ask him, he doesn't know anything, don't ask me either because I don't want to answer them," Tsukishima paused before giving a dry laugh, "just kidding."

As Yamaguchi Tadashi gave a wave to the guests, Tsukishima turned the wheel on the boat. Tsukishima had been working at Jungle Cruise for almost a year and he had to admit it wasn't the worst job at Disneyland. He didn't have to wear tight, stuffy clothes or sing on stage or deal with crying children all day. His job allowed him to joke around and be sarcastic with the guests, which he was grateful for. The only downside was he had to train and take care of the newbies.

"I'm Yamaguchi your second Skipper, your guide, your lion tamer, your snake charmer and if you don't laugh at Tsukki's jokes your swimming instructor," Yamaguchi laughed, trying to continue the natural flow of the tour.

Yamaguchi had started working at Disneyland three weeks ago and Tsukishima didn't know why he still wasn't allowed to host his own tours. Sure Yamaguchi was awkward and shy which meant sometimes the jokes didn't land but Tsukishima thought the other was perfectly capable and could handle his own. Yamaguchi had also formed a friendship with Tsukishima, following him around during breaks and sitting with him at lunch. Tsukishima didn't mind and actually enjoyed the other's company, it was also better than being forced to sit with Bokuto and Kuroo every day.

Yamaguchi continued on, hitting all the cues when Tsukishima noticed a group of girls towards the front laughing and giggling about him. Tsukishima tried to not let the annoyance show up on his face as he took off from where Yamaguchi left.

A few months ago, while Tsukishima was hosting a tour, someone decided to take a photo of him and upload it to Twitter with the caption, "HELP ME FIND THIS BEAUTIFUL BOATMAN." Word got around and before Tsukishima knew, he became a worldwide trend and he hated it. Every day for a month, people would come up to him during the tour and ask if he was said "beautiful boatman" and Tsukishima didn't know how to respond in a "Disney" way. It got to the point where guests were specifically asking to be in his boat and he was eventually pulled into Ukai's office for a meeting.

Of course, Bokuto and Kuroo found the whole thing hilarious and dragged Tsukishima asking if he was able to get a date out of all of this. Tsukishima hated the whole ordeal and considered quitting multiple times but everything soon died down. However, occasionally people would recognise him and try to grab his attention.

Tsukishima continued to aid Yamaguchi by adding to the conversation every so often but he mainly let Yamaguchi take control of the tour. A sense of pride overtook him whenever one of Yamaguchi's jokes landed or when he didn't fumble up his words. Tsukishima noted to speak to Ukai later on about the others progress and hopefully get him on his own boat.

Tsukishima gave a sigh of relief once he saw the familiar docking station and remembered him and Yamaguchi were due for their lunch break. As they both began thanking and saying goodbye to the guests, Tsukishima noticed the same group of girls huddling at the front of the boat whispering to each other. The tall figure had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he made his way over to kindly tell them to exit the ride.

As Tsukishima was about to speak, one of the girls was pushed forward by another and began speaking in a loud, rushed voice. "Sorry to bother you but could we get a photo? You're the one from the Twitter meme right? Oh my God, this is going to be so funny."

The girl continued to speak and Tsukishima forced himself to keep up this positive demeanour that he had spent months perfecting. He wanted nothing more than to just simply ignore the girl's request, shove past her, exit the boat and take his lunch but getting fired wasn't on his schedule for today. Tsukishima also realised that getting fired would probably take up considerably more effort than just taking this dumb photo anyways.

Tsukishima, letting out another sigh, was about to agree when a different voice popped up behind him.

"I'm so sorry but we aren't allowed to take photos with park guests," another more timid voice spoke up.

Tsukishima turned around and was surprised to see the voice coming from Yamaguchi, despite him being the only other person on the boat. Tsukishima continued to stand stunned while Yamaguchi escorted the girls off the boat and wished them a magical day.

As soon as the exchange was over Tsukishima snapped back to reality and exited the boat without another word with Yamaguchi following behind him. However, the short silence was quickly killed when Yamaguchi decided to speak up again.

"I know we're allowed to take photos with guests," he paused, looking over at Tsukishima, "but I also know how much you dislike doing it, so I hope you don't mind that I lied."

Tsukishima let out a small laugh before a smile replaced his neutral expression causing Yamaguchi to smile too.

*

"And it was all gwah and kaboom! Kageyama you should've seen it! I don't know why you decided to go home early yesterday," Hinata exclaimed, jumping up and down at their lunch table trying to imitate the new fireworks show.

Kageyama continued to eat in silence while listening to Hinata go off about all the new features of the fireworks show that premiered last night. As Hinata bounced around the table making loud noises, Kageyama noticed how none of the other cast members was bothered by Hinata's loud actions.

"I finished at six yesterday, I had no reason to stay around," Kageyama replied, glancing at Hinata who was swinging his arms around mimicking a firework. "Besides, isn't it just a fireworks show?"

"Just a fireworks show?!" Hinata exclaimed, almost stopping in midair as he was in the middle of demonstrating one of the explosions.

Hinata's sudden outburst caught a few people's attention but once they saw the familiar orange hair they went back to their own business. Hinata was well-liked amongst the majority of the cast and crew for his positive attitude and his ability to make everyone smile. He got along with almost everyone and no one was able to tell him to sit still or be quiet without a hundred pairs of eyes glaring their way.

Kageyama nodded in response to Hinata and Hinata groaned before slamming himself back down on the table.

"Kageyama it's not just a fireworks show, it's amazing, it's fantastic, it's magical!" Hinata gushed, recalling the events that took place last night. "All the colours and the lights and you should've seen Nishinoya! Gwah he was-"

"Well look who it is, I guess I'm not surprised that all the noise is coming from you," Tsukishima said, interrupting Hinata and Kageyama's conversation. Tsukishima glanced around noticing the lack of seats around the room and decided to sit down across from the two with Yamaguchi doing the same.

"Hi Yamaguchi," Hinata beamed before glaring at the other, taller male. "Tsukishima."

Yamaguchi waved back while Tsukishima ignored him and instead took interest in the person accompanying him.

"Well isn't it the idiot that broke 'It's a small world' on their first day?" Tsukishima began to tease and Hinata felt Kageyama tense up beside him.

Noticing Kageyama's tense attitude Tsukishima continued on wanting to see what type of reaction he'd get from the other.

"You know it's not easy to break such a simple ride. You must be some new record holder, I'm impressed. I don't think anyone has done it before," Tsukishima continued waiting for some outburst from the other.

Hinata glared at Tsukishima and was about to step in and stop him. Hinata had witnessed Tsukishma purposefully try and rile up other cast members for no other reason than him being bored. Tsukishima had even tried to get on Hinata's nerves multiple times but he could never succeed and Hinata wasn't going to let him do it today by bullying Kageyama.

Yamaguchi, noticing how sour the mood had suddenly turned, decided to add to the conversion, "Tsukki don't be rude! Remember on your first day when you accidentally fell into the water? They had to shut down the whole ride for an hour because you accidentally broke a wire,"

As quickly as the mood had turned tense, it suddenly died as Hinata let out a loud laugh with Kageyama's scowl also dropping. Tsukishima felt his ears burn as his brain brought back memories of the said event.

"Shut up Yamaguchi, you weren't even there," Tsukishima spat out taking his eyes off the two and focusing in on the food in front of him suddenly embarrassed.

"Sorry Tsukki," Yamaguchi laughed out but looked over at Hinata and Kageyama to give an apologetic smile for his friend's behaviour.

Hinata looked over at Kageyama to make sure he was okay and not bothered by what Tsukishima had said but was greeted by the other's face already staring at his.

"Sorry Hinata, what were you saying about the fireworks?" Kageyama asked, a new sense of enthusiasm evident in his voice.

As Kageyama said that, Hinata felt a blush creep onto his face as he realised Kageyama was actually listening to his meaningless babbles and was actually interested in what he had to say. Hinata was so used to people just letting him ramble on that he just assumed they were never actually listening to him. And now, here Kageyama was taking in what he was saying and even asking him to continue.

Hinata tried not to gush over this simple action while continuing to express his amazement at the new show.

*

Hinata skipped around the park, stopping to wave at guests as he made his way over to the familiar Pixie Hollow. However, as he made his way quickly through the park he couldn’t help but notice some familiar faces standing at a meet and greet by the wishing well.

Lunch had just ended and Hinata was meant to be stationed beside Tinkerbell but his newfound need to cause mischief told him that he could be a few minutes late.

Sneaking up towards the two figures, Hinata plucked a stem of leaves from a nearby bush and motioned for the other guests to keep quiet.

Clutching the stem in his hands, he continued on until he was perfectly positioned behind The Mad Hatter who was leaning against the wishing well talking to a few guests.

Tendou Satori was the perfect person to play Hatter and Hinata had seen him use his odd behaviour to his advantage when taking on the role and interacting with guests. Although dressed in an oversized green hat and mustard suit, Tendou’s personality still managed to shine through making him a guest favourite at the park.

Leaning on his tip-toes, Hinata placed the collection of leaves at the base of Tendou’s neck and began tickling him, jumping in the opposite direction when the other turned around.

A few guests, noticing the other’s behaviour began to laugh and motioned for Hinata to continue the act while Tendou was distracted, too enthralled with asking someone what they were wishing for at the well.

Hinata, braver this time, reached up and instead poked the other’s face with the stem causing him to jump back and give off a panicked yell.

“Peter! That scared me,” Tendou called out, as Hinata ran behind Alice who was in the middle of taking photos with another guest.

If Tendou was the perfect Hatter, then Tanaka Saeko was quiet the unusual Alice.

The first time Hinata saw Saeko out of costume was at a cast party her younger brother had thrown, and to say he was shocked was an understatement. Saeko was nothing like her character and instead sported short blonde hair and multiple piercings. Hinata remembered doing a double-take when she had to re-introduce herself as he couldn’t believe it.

Yet, standing at 155cm and wearing a baby blue dress with a matching cloak, Saeko managed to hide her rebellious personality and play the role of Alice almost perfectly.

“Oh Peter,” Saeko called out in an endearing voice, “Are you being mean to Hatter again?” a slightly teasing tone evident in her words.

Hinata gave off a laugh, before glancing at the clock on the wall and deciding it was best to head over to Pixie Hollow.

However, before he waved goodbye he reached up behind Tendou again and poked him in the face with the stem one last time.

*

“Tink!” Hinata yelled, running up from behind and almost crashing into the smaller figure.

Hitoka Yachi gave off a shriek, surprised by the other person’s sudden presence. As Yachi calmed herself down, Hinata glanced around and noticed the lack of queue for their meet and greet.

“Where is everyone?” Hinata asked, walking towards the entrance where guests would usually come to see them.

Yachi let out a sigh, “Hinata, our meet and greet doesn’t start for another five minutes, I just told you an earlier time because I knew you’d be late,” Yachi said in a hushed voice.

“What?!” Hinata exclaimed, obviously hurt by the lack of trust and responsibility Yachi had for him. Although looking at the time, he noticed he was a few minutes late to their scheduled meeting.

Yachi let out a soft laugh before taking a seat at one of the nearby mushroom stools and motioned Hinata to sit beside her.

“So,” she began. “Have you thought about inviting Kageyama-kun to our staff night on Friday?”

Hinata instantly slapped his hands against his forehead. He had been so busy trying to not look like an idiot in front of Kageyama that he completely forgot about the event.

Yachi, startled by the sudden action, jumped back but quickly regained her composure and went to remove Hinata’s hands from his face.

“Don’t do that Hinata! You’ll have red marks in all of the photos and the parents might complain!” Yachi said trying her best to rub away the marks with her hands.

“Besides it’s only Thursday,” her voice suddenly dropping at the realisation of the day but quickly tried to remain positive as her friend started to frown. “You still have time! Ask him tonight after work.”

Hinata nodded, making a mental note to not forget as another cast member entered the room and told them they were going to start letting guests in.

“Okay, now remember, just think happy thoughts”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thank you all for your continuous support.  
> I just want to apologise for the extremely late chapter, I sort of fell into a slump the past few weeks and felt unmotivated to do anything but I promise I will try and keep updates more regular from now on.  
> I hope you enjoyed!


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